Article Summary –
Following the election results favoring Donald Trump, over 8,000 women mobilized through Red Wine & Blue, a grassroots organization, to express concerns and prepare for the anticipated impact of Trump’s second term on civil rights, environmental regulations, and other social issues. Key figures, like Vic Walczak from the ACLU and Signe Espinoza from Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, emphasize the importance of community engagement and resistance, highlighting the role of local leaders like Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, in buffering against federal policies. The article underscores a collective effort among various groups, including educators, immigrant rights advocates, and environmentalists, to combat expected detrimental policies, with legal and community-based actions being central to their strategy.
Two nights post-election in November, women across Pennsylvania and the nation began a surge of text and email exchanges.
The messages invited women to a virtual meeting on Nov. 7, aiming to help process Donald Trump’s victory and discuss its potential impact on their lives and loved ones.
This impromptu gathering was organized by Red Wine & Blue, a grassroots group mobilizing suburban women in politics, uncertain of the turnout.
Hours later, over 8,000 participants had registered.
“By the end, 2,000 women stayed on the call, not ready to disconnect,” said Sherry Luce, Pennsylvania program director for Red Wine & Blue in Radnor, near Philadelphia.
“Many are reaching out, seeking more connection,” Luce added.
Statewide, individuals are gearing up for the incoming Trump administration. This includes conservatives, Republicans opposing Trump, educators, reproductive rights advocates, and environmentalists, uniting to counter expected Trump policies that could threaten civil rights, environmental regulations, immigration, health care, and reproductive access.
“There’s anger, denial, and readiness to galvanize,” Luce said. “What is our solution? How do we recover?”
Community is part of the solution, say interviewees.
“Strength lies in numbers,” stated Vic Walczak, ACLU of Pennsylvania’s legal director. “Disengagement is the wrong response; engagement is crucial, especially as the Trump administration begins.”
‘Really scary for our future’
Post-election, Ariel Franchak, a reading specialist from Enola, PA, needed time to process her sadness before addressing Trump’s anticipated anti-public education policies.
Franchak, initially politically active due to book bans, felt a “horrible flashback” to 2016 upon Trump’s win, leading to tears at home.
“I couldn’t function,” Franchak said. “It was like when my father got cancer. I couldn’t make dinner; I just cried.”
Franchak worries about marginalized students and her federal Title I-funded job, threatened by Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education, risking over 180,000 teaching jobs nationwide, analysis shows.
“Lack of reading support means kids won’t read at grade level. It’s scary for our future,” she said.
With initial panic subsiding, Franchak plans to join her Democratic club to resist Trump’s policies and support affected individuals.
‘We have been here before’
Signe Espinoza, executive director of Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, is familiar with fighting harmful Trump-era policies.
“We’ve been here before and emerged stronger,” Espinoza said. “We’ll continue fighting for all Pennsylvanians.”
The fear post-election will drive necessary resistance, especially against the deadly consequences of Roe v. Wade‘s overturn, which Trump claims credit for, and the administration’s plans to decimate reproductive health care.
“Trump’s abortion bans cause suffering, and people continue to die,” Espinoza said. Advocates are organizing and working with Gov. Josh Shapiro to protect and expand reproductive health care.
Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor and legislators will act as a buffer against harmful Trump policies, interviewees believe.
“We’re lucky to have someone like Gov. Josh Shapiro as a bulwark,” said Molly Parzen, executive director of the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania.
However, daunting work lies ahead, Parzen noted.
Trump aims to reverse President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest green investment in U.S. history.
“A second Trump term could devastate numerous issues, the environment included,” Parzen said. “He’ll be a president for polluters.”
Immigrant rights advocates like Patty Torres, co-deputy director of Make the Road PA, focus on local organizing to protect immigrants from Trump’s mass deportation plans, affecting thousands in Pennsylvania. Trump falsely labels undocumented immigrants as dangerous, while they are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born citizens.
Beyond government, the ACLU is preparing legal action against expected unlawful Trump administration policies, having filed 400 actions previously, including to protect abortion access.
However, ACLU’s Walczak acknowledges their limits.
“We can’t save everyone,” Walczak said. “Rights will be violated. If people dislike what they see, it’s crucial to engage and vote.”
—
Read More Pennsylvania News
